Insulin Resistance Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency in Children

Findings based on school-age Greek children

A new study published in Diabetes found that children who are obese and have insulin resistance may be more likely to present vitamin D deficiency than non-obese children who do not have insulin resistance.

The study was conducted by studying almost 2,300 school-age children (ages 9–13) in Greece. Overall, 31 percent of children were found to be overweight, and 11 percent classified as obese. Boys had a higher prevalence of obesity than girls.

Regarding vitamin D status, the rates of insufficiency and deficiency, respectively, came in at 52.2 percent and 5.2 percent. Girls were found to have higher rates than boys in both categories.

Analysis suggested that children with IR were 1.48 times more likely to be vitamin D insufficient compared with children with normal insulin status, but it did not show a significant association between obesity and vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency.